The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced a new policy requiring foreigners temporarily residing in the country, including Nigerians, to return to their home countries before applying for Green Cards.
The directive was issued through a policy memo supervised by the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), marking a significant shift in U.S. immigration processing rules.
The policy is part of broader efforts to tighten immigration procedures under the current administration.
According to DHS, immigration officers will handle applications for exceptional relief on a case-by-case basis, taking into account individual circumstances, evidence, and humanitarian considerations.
“An alien who is in the U.S. temporarily and wants a Green Card must return to their home country to apply,” the Department of Homeland Security stated.
The agency explained that the change is intended to ensure compliance with existing immigration laws and reduce perceived exploitation of procedural loopholes.
It added that the reform will also allow USCIS to better manage its workload and improve efficiency in processing other immigration applications.
The new directive reverses earlier practices that allowed eligible applicants already in the United States to adjust their immigration status without leaving the country.
Humanitarian organisations have criticised the policy, warning that it could place vulnerable groups such as trafficking survivors and abused children at risk by forcing them to return to their countries of origin during the application process.
The policy comes amid wider immigration tightening measures, including stricter visa rules and increased scrutiny of applicants.
U.S. authorities have also intensified enforcement actions in recent months, with reports of visa revocations and tougher screening procedures across several categories of travel documents.
The administration has also explored additional immigration reforms, including proposals affecting visa durations and eligibility conditions for various categories of foreign nationals.
These ongoing policy shifts continue to generate debate over immigration control, humanitarian protection, and access to legal migration pathways into the United States.
